Changes
by Nolla
Summary: What will happen when one of Darien's insults goes too far?


"Hey Serena."

"Hey Andrew."

"What can I do for you?" asked her light brown haired friend.

"Oh nothing today," said Serena happily.

"What's put you in a good mood?"

"I didn't get detention today and somehow I finished my homework last night! I was actually early for class, so Ms. H was actually nice to me today! And I finally passed one of my tests! Look!"

She shoved her exam paper in Andrew's face and he smiled at the 87.

"Serena, I'm impressed!" gasped Andrew. "You must have studied really hard. But my question is, what are you going to be getting out of this? Obviously someone put you up to this. You never study."

"Actually, nobody put me up to this," said Serena, looking around the Arcade. "I'm just waiting for Darien to come in."

"Why's that?" asked Andrew, raising an eyebrow.

"Because last time I saw him, Darien bet me that I couldn't pass a test and I wanted to prove him wrong! And the best thing is that I passed in my worst subject; Maths! So he's going to have to apologise for thinking that I couldn't pass!"

"Well Serena, in light of your brilliant result, you deserve a treat. I think that a Sailor V video game is in store for you, on the house of course."

"Really Andrew? Thanks!" she chirped.

She ran over to one of the machines and waited as Andrew slipped a coin into the game. He smiled as he watched the young girl play the game fiercely. Her long, golden hair ran silky and smooth down her back, some of it up in the two buns that she pinned to her head. Her bright, blue eyes sparkled with delight as she made the little computer character jump to avoid an attack. Her soft, pink lips were curled up into a smile and her long, beautiful legs were crossed underneath her seat as she concentrated on her game. As usual, she got a GAME OVER and she groaned in annoyance.

"Ah well," she said brightening up. "I'll get that high score next time."

"In front of a screen again, Meatball head? One day you're going to have square eyes and when that day comes, I'm gonna laugh."

Serena's eyes narrowed in anger and felt a strong urge to hit the guy who was now standing next to Andrew.

"What? No comeback today Meatball head?" he said, clearly enjoying how annoyed she was getting.

'Wait for it,' he thought. 'She'll end up saying something. She won't be able to resist.'

To his surprise, however, she stood up and turned to face him, her face no longer showing signs of anger, but in fact, was happy. Darien seemed a little shocked to see the expression on her face; she'd never looked at him like that before...not ever.

"Hello Darien," she said smiling. "I have something I wanna show you."

She grabbed a hold of his hand (his spine tingled at her touch) and lead him over to the counter where her test sat. She picked it up and proudly brandished it in front of him.

"Just what am I supposed to be looking at?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"This!" she said, almost wailing. "Look at the score I got!"

Darien took a good look at the 87 on the sheet and his eyes went wide in surprise.

"This is your test paper?" he asked in disbelief. "It can't be. There's no way that you could ever get a score this good Meatball head. How stupid do you think I am?"

"If you don't believe that it's mine then why does it have my name on it?" asked Serena, trying to stay calm, but he was just so infuriating.

"You could have forged your own name on the top," he said.

"Are you suggesting that I'd actually cheat!" shrieked Serena angrily.

"No," said Darien. "I'm just saying that there is no way in hell that an incredibly lazy, stupid, ditzy, blonde, Meatball headed girl like you could ever get a score this good!"

Serena's eyes went wide and her mouth was opened a little in shock. So is that what he thought of her? Andrew looked at Darien in shock and anger. Darien realised how bad that had come out.

"Wait, I didn't mean for it to come out that way. What I meant was-"

"Don't try to explain," said Serena, real tears forming in her astonishing eyes. "I know exactly what you meant. At least now I know what you really think of me Darien. I'm just sorry that I ever did anything for YOU!"

She threw the paper in his face and ran out the door, tears streaming down her face and hitting the floor. Darien stared helplessly after her; he had never seen her actually cry before (usually she just wailed) and smelling the salt on her face, seeing the water running down her skin, made his heart crack. He turned to Andrew who was giving him the most disgusted look that he could muster. Lucky for Darien, it had only been the three in the entire Arcade at the time. Andrew didn't want to speak to Darien but did as soon as he saw the look on Darien's face. It was a look of pure self-loathing. Clearly Darien wasn't very happy with himself.

"What am I gonna do?" whined Darien, sitting on a chair and hitting his head repeatedly in his hands.

"Maybe, apologise?" suggested Andrew.

Darien sighed and said, "I doubt that she'll ever want to speak to me after that! What did she mean anyway? That she did something for me?"

"Well, for the first time in her life Darien, she actually studied long and hard. She got that score fair and square. And it was all because you bet her that she couldn't pass a test. She did that to prove to you that she could. Therefore, she did it for you, Darien."

Darien pummelled his head.

"Hey calm down Darien," said Andrew hurriedly. "If you just apologise, things will go back to the way they were."

Darien sighed, got to his feet and stalked off to Serena's house, knowing full well that she didn't want to speak to him. Luckily he bumped into Raye, Lita, Mina and Amy before he got to Serena.

"Hey girls," he said as he caught up to them.

"Hello Darien," said Raye. "What's up?"

"I need to find Serena," said Darien calmly.

"Serena? Since when did you call her Serena?" asked Mina in surprise.

"And since when did you ever want to find her?" asked Lita suspiciously.

"Since I said something really bad to her and I want to apologise," he replied.

"Hold on. Isn't saying bad things to her basically what you always do? Why in the world would you want to suddenly apologise for doing something that you've always done?" asked Amy in surprise.

Darien realised how bad that sounded. But it was true; he had always teased Serena. He had always thought it was fun, but he never thought that his harmless insults could ever really hurt her. Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps everytime he'd called her a name, she had held her head high then ran home crying her heart out. The thought made his heart continually tear and the more he thought about it, the more he hated himself.

"Darien? You still with us?" asked Raye, waving a hand in his face.

"What? Sorry, I was thinking," he explained. "So, do you know where she is?"

"No, the last time I saw her was at lunch," said Mina.

"Nope, sorry. Like Mina said," said Lita.

"Haven't seen her all day," said Raye.

"Last time I saw her, she was heading for the Arcade with a test paper in her hand," said Amy. "She seemed really excited."

Darien groaned in annoyance. Where was she?

"Fine," he said. "See ya's later."

He ran off in the opposite direction, intent on finding her. She wasn't at her house (her father had looked at him suspiciously) and wasn't at Raye's temple. He checked every food and ice cream parlour around and found nothing. He was just about to give up hope when he passed Slick Chick's Beauty Salon. He looked in the window and saw Serena sitting down in one of the seat's, her face tearstained and her eyes bloodshot. She took out her long hair and Darien gasped. She looked so beautiful with her hair down.

'Why doesn't she keep it that way?' he thought to himself.

He watched as a woman came over to Serena and began to talk to her. Darien noticed the woman picking up a pair of scissors and watched as the woman took a bunch of Serena's hair. He was shocked to see the woman cut half of it off! It fell to the floor, her beautiful golden hair, lost to the dirty ground. Serena's eyes were shut tightly, tears beginning to stream down her skin again. The woman cut her hair until it fell around her elbows then stepped back so that Serena could get a better look at her reflection. Serena seemed satisfied enough but Darien's mouth had fallen to the floor.

'How DARE she?' he thought viciously. 'He dare she TOUCH Serena's hair?'

The woman lead Serena over to a basin and got her to lay down, so that her hair fell into it. Darien couldn't take it anymore, but his legs wouldn't budge. He wrenched his eyes away, unable to take anymore of the horrid sight before him. To him, cutting Serena's hair was about the most heinous crime anyone could commit. He ran into the park and sat down on a bench, trying to breathe.

"Why in the world did you do that Serena?" he whispered. "I don't understand."

He wanted to hit something, but couldn't bring himself to. He watched as a couple walked past, both hand in hand, smiling at each other, eyes so full of love. He looked at his hands, feeling horrible for what he'd said to Serena. He closed his eyes and fell back in his seat. He dozed off, listening to the sounds of the crickets beginning their song as the sun began to set. What felt like a few moments later to him, but was actually an hour later, he was being shaken awake.

"Darien? Wake up. Come on you stupid jerk!"

Darien opened his beautiful blue eyes to find himself staring into Serena's. He gasped as he saw her hair; it was no longer golden, but a honey brown right to the tips. His eyes almost filled with tears; he'd never see that beautiful, golden colour again. Serena noticed what he was looking at and gasped when she saw the look in his eyes; he looked so upset. She blinked a few times before taking a step back.

"What?" she snapped viciously.

"Nothing," said Darien quickly. "Er, why'd you wake me?"

"I walked past and thought that it would be a good idea to wake you before all the freaks come out," snapped Serena defensively.

"Why?"

"Because, Darien, as much as I hate you right now, I would never want you to get hurt," she whispered angrily.

He seemed stunned for a moment then said, "Really? You mean that?"

Serena nodded and he noticed the blush coming to her face. What did that mean?

"So, why did you dye your hair Serena?"

She looked and gave him the most shocked look that she could muster.

"What?" he asked.

"You called me Serena!"

"That is your name, right?"

"Yeah, but you've always called me Meatball head," she gasped.

"I know," said Darien. "But I can't very well call you that anymore now can I?"

She grinned and sat down beside him, giggling a little. He shifted restlessly, feeling slightly uncomfortable about how close she was. But he relished at the sound of her laughter. It wasn't hyena like (like normal), but pure and soft, filled with warmth and love. Darien almost died upon hearing it.

"I dyed my hair because you said that I was an incredibly lazy, stupid, klutzy, blonde, Meatball headed girl. I thought that I should do something about it," she muttered.

"Serena, I told you I didn't mean that!" he said quickly. "Don't you believe me?"

"It's not that I don't believe you Darien. It's just that you said it. You thought that of me and it hurt, a lot."

"Well, I'm sorry!" he cried. "OK? I'm so sorry that I even thought of saying such a horrible thing about you! I should have said something nice, maybe even praised you for your good score, but something always takes over me before I get to say anything nice to you Serena! Always! I try really hard to hold back every insult, but it's no use. My big mouth runs ahead of my brain and then I end up upsetting you. I'm sorry. Please forgive me Serena."

She stared at him, hardly daring to believe it. But his eyes held so much truth, so much anger at himself, that she smiled. She placed a hand on his shoulder as he looked at her pleadingly.

"It's OK Darien," she said soothingly. "I forgive you."

He managed a smile and said, "Really?"

"Yeah, really."

He wanted to hug her but thought it was not a good idea.

"So, do I look better now?" asked Serena, pointing to her hair.

"What? You looked amazing before-"

'Oops!' he thought. 'Wasn't supposed to say that! Ah well, at least I said something nice.'

Serena blushed bright red.

"You liked my appearance before? Then, why were you always making fun of my hair?"

"I don't really know anymore," he said truthfully. "I've always liked it. I guess I couldn't just admit that, so I made fun of it instead."

"Afraid that if you said you'd like it, it would ruin your rep or perhaps it would weird saying that you liked my hair?"

Darien laughed and said, "But it still looks good now. Really. It looks very nice."

Serena beamed at him and said, "Thanks."

Suddenly a few raindrops hit Darien's face and he looked to the sky.

"It's gonna rain," he said smiling.

"WHAT!"

Serena suddenly leapt up and looked to the sky. Sure enough, huge storm clouds were above her head and she began to whimper. Darien stood up and walked over to her, eyeing her with worry.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I hate storms!" she squeaked. "I hate the rain, I hate the lightning, I hate the THUNDER!"

And just as she screamed it, there was a huge clap of thunder and she flew into Darien's chest, clinging onto him for dear life. He was stunned; she was holding onto him, gripping him tightly, not letting go. He looked down at her and noticed just how pathetic she'd suddenly gotten, but the warmth that was radiating from her was incredible. He didn't want her to ever let go of him. She fitted so nicely against his body, so perfectly. Her head came to rest under his chin and her hands were gripped like a vice around his back. He could feel his shirt getting damp from tears spilling out of Serena's eyes. God he hated it when she cried. Rain began to pour down on them both. Suddenly, lightning lit up the sky and Serena took off, crying in fear. Darien ran after her and saw her trip on the concrete and fall to the ground. He could see blood mingling with the water that was running through the cracks of the cement. He bent down beside her crying and shaking form and held her to him.

"It's OK Serena," he said soothingly, trying to calm her. "I'm here. You're safe."

"Make it go away Darien," she said, crying into his shirt. "Please."

"Come on," he said. "Let's find somewhere dry to stay, OK?"

He helped her to her feet, but suddenly she fell back to the ground, crying in fear and cringing in pain. She had her hand clasped around her knee. He took her hand away and noticed how deeply she had grazed her knee. He picked her up in his arms and carried her to the closest place he could find; the Arcade. Andrew was just closing up when he spotted Darien walking through the rain, a pretty girl laying in his arms, her hands clinging to his chest.

"Darien? What's going on?"

Darien said nothing, but walked past him and into the Arcade.

"Andrew? Do you have any bandages and towels?" asked Darien.

"Yeah, but-"

"Well, get them then," barked Darien angrily.

"Alright, alright! Calm down."

"I can't calm down when Serena's not only terrified but she'd hurt too!"

"Serena? Where? I don't see her."

"I'm right here Andrew," she whispered.

"Serena? Is that you?"

"Enough! Andrew, bandages! Serena, hurt!" snapped Darien, his eyes almost bulging from anger.

Andrew disappeared out the back room and Darien laid her on the floor, being very careful all the while. Andrew came back with some bandages and a few towels which gave to his best friend. Darien knelt down beside Serena and wiped away the blood away from her wound with his pale pink sleeve. Andrew left the room and disappeared out the back, leaving them alone. Serena watched Darien wrap the bandages around her knee and smiled at him when he was finished.

"All done," he said, helping her into a more comfortable sitting position.

She leant against the side of a Sailor V video game but winced when a streak of lightning hit the sky. Another clap of thunder and Serena was in tears again. Darien grabbed one of the blankets and dried himself quickly. He noticed that Serena was too terrified to do anything for herself, so he then slowly towel dried her, using the opportunity to feel her petite skin underneath the fabric; it wasn't fair. She was too perfect for such a young girl.

"Oh, I hate STORMS!" she whimpered, crying again. "It's so scary!"

She cried into her hands then looked up at Darien who was still kneeling beside her.

"I'm sorry. You must think that I'm pretty silly, huh Darien?" she gasped breathlessly.

She looked so innocent, so angelic at that moment, that Darien found it hard to breathe. He shook his head and sat down next to her.

"Actually Serena, I wonder why your afraid of storms," said Darien, looking at her in what he thought was a caring way.

"Well," she sniffed. "When I was six I got lost in a storm in the park. I had been playing by myself and my parents had warned me not to wander off, but I had seen a butterfly. I ran after it and lost it, not to mention my parents. Then a storm rolled in and I began to cry. I was all alone, I was scared and nobody knew I was there. I almost died that day from pneumonia because I'd collapsed from exhaustion. It was lucky that my parents had been looking for me, otherwise I would have died. That's why I'm scared of storms."

"Serena, I had no idea," he breathed. "Well, don't worry. The storm won't last long."

"It doesn't matter how long it lasts," she wailed. "All I know is that I feel alone and lost whenever a storm comes and I hate feeling that way. I don't want to feel that way!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" said Darien, snaking his arms around her and pulling her into him. "It's alright. You are not going to get lost, OK? I'm going to take care of you, OK? And you are not alone; I'm here, remember?"

He felt Serena bury her head into his shoulder and heard her whisper a small thank you. He enjoyed having her laying comfortably in his arms, breathing into his neck, holding onto his arms.

"We'll wait out the storm, OK?" he said, looking down at her.

"As long as you don't leave, I'll be OK," said Serena into his chest.

"Don't worry," said Darien. "I'm not going anywhere. Ever."

For some strange reason, a feeling of deep affection took over him and kissed Serena on her forehead. She gasped in surprise and looked up at his set face, as he began to rub her back soothingly. Serena didn't say anything, didn't move, just stared at him. She hadn't expected him to do that...ever! But she had to admit, it had felt nice. She snuggled deeper into his chest and closed her eyes in contentment.

"Thanks Darien," she whispered. "For everything."

"Don't mention it, Rena," he replied.

"Rena?"

"It's better than Meatball head isn't it?"

"I s'pose," she said, smiling and actually beginning to doze off. "Yeah. It is."

The storm ended as they sat in each other's arms, both asleep and breathing deeply into the other's skin. Andrew came walking back into the room and recieved a small shock. But then he smiled.

"Finally!" he whispered.

He grabbed the phone and rang up Serena's house.

"Yeah, hi, this is Andrew, Serena's friend. Yeah, she told me earlier to tell you that she's staying at Mina's place, OK? Something about studying and watching movies I think. Though I doubt that she'd study for a Saturday. Yeah I think she forgot it was Friday today. Anyway, thanks, bye."

He gave the couple one last look, before throwing a light blanket over them and sitting cushions behind their backs. He locked the Arcade up, leaving them together inside. He just hoped that nothing would happen before he got back in morning; he wasn't really in the mood to clean up in the early hours of the morning. He dialed Mina's phone numbed on his mobile and waited.

"Yeah, this is Mina!"

"Hi, Mina. I need you to do something for me. If Serena's mum calls tell her that she's at your place."

"Why Andrew?"

"Because she's spending some quiet time with Darien at the moment and she can't ask you herself."

Meanwhile, both Serena and Darien fingers interlocked as they both dreamt of the person who was with them at that moment. Darien's head fell gently onto Serena's face and his lips grazed her cheek slightly. He moved his head, ever so slightly, and accidentally brushed his lips against Serena's. For a fraction of second, the two kissed without knowing it, before both moving their heads. Serena snuggled into Darien and he rested his head comfortably on the top of her hair, breathing it in, intoxicating himself. Nobody would have guessed that just a few hours before hand the two had despised each other. By taking just one look at them, people would have thought they were deeply in love.

Surprisingly enough, they were in love...they just didn't know it yet!

Serena awoke the next morning with a seriously sore butt. She had been sitting all night while she was asleep and man, was she sore! But she felt so warm, so content. She could feel something strong holding onto her, making her feel safe in just a simple embrace. She opened her eyes, momentarily forgetting what had happened the day before. But it all came flooding back with an enormous speed as soon as she looked up into the familiar face of Darien Shields. She started and almost leapt out of his reach (almost). She was confused for a moment; how was it he could be such a jerk one moment then the next such a sweetheart who made her heart skip a few hundred beats, so warm, so soft with his words, so gentle, so un-Darien like. Maybe the Darien she had seen was a mask...or maybe the Darien who teased her was the mask? It was all too confusing for her liking, so she just enjoyed his warmth while she could, leaning back into his chest and breathing in his scent. She felt his arms tighten around her possessively and she almost giggled. His fingertips were right near a ticklish spot and she hoped he wouldn't wake up and find that out, otherwise she was doomed. She was sure that, nice or not, Darien would definately tickle her until she cried for mercy or worse, apologised for the all the times she'd called him a jerk! Suddenly she heard a lazy yawn and looked up into sparkling sapphire eyes, which wasn't what she expected. His eyes, which were usually cold, distant and sarcastic were suddenly soft, warm and loving. He looked geniunely happy to see her which surprised her a little.

"Morning," he slurred as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

Serena was a little shocked to see how much like a child he was when nobody else was around. He looked so cute! His dark hair ruffled and his eyes shimmering with happiness. His sleeve was still bloody but otherwise he looked perfect.

"How'd you sleep?" he asked kindly.

Serena, who wasn't used to him being so nice to her, ended up stuttering out of shock.

"F-fine. But my backside couldn't be any sorer."

Darien laughed.

"Yeah, mine too," he replied rubbing it a little to soothe the pain before letting his hands rest back around Serena. "Don't you think we should get up if we're sore?"

"No," whispered Serena letting her head fall against his shoulder. "I wanna stay this way forever."

She could feel Darien clinging to her a little and heard him chuckle.

"Me too," he muttered. "But if Andrew decides to come in early then we're in for it. I have a feeling he's already guessed we aren't arguing anymore."

"Why's that?"

"Because where else did the blanket and cushions come from?" he said, picking them and showing them to her. "And I think that when we were kind of holding onto each other it was sort of obvious that we don't hate each other."

"I never said I hated you Darien," said Serena frowning. "Wait! Did you hate me?"

"Serena, I couldn't have hated you even if I tried," he said laughing. "Everything about you, from your spastic behaviour to your klutzy, ditsy demeanour fascinated me. You were the only girl I've ever met that argued with me and I loved it. You are argumentive, you eat like a pig, you're annoying, flaky, a cry baby and so damn clumsy-"

He noticed the upset look on her face and immediately decided that the insult fest would stop there.

"-But Serena, that's what sets you apart from everyone else. And that's what I like about you. No matter what anyone else says, you don't change your personality and stick to your beliefs, even if they are a little insane sometimes. You are your own person and don't follow the crowd or trends. You're different, but in a good way and I like that Serena."

She smiled at him and actually wrapped her arms tightly around him.

"Thanks Darien," she whispered. "I like you too."

"Well, we should get up. You hungry?"

"Am I? What kind of question is that Darien?"

He chuckled. "What do you want?"

"I don't know and to be honest, I don't care," she said, clinging to him tighter. "As long as I'm with you, nothing matters."

"Why the sudden change of heart?" he asked curiously.

"Because you aren't the cranky, annoying jerk who teases me," she said. "You're someone completely different."

"Is that supposed to be an insult or a compliment?" he asked confused.

"Take your pick," she said smiling into his shirt.

"OK then," he said laughing a little. "Well, you aren't the annoying, wailing, klutzy dope that I thought you were. To me you are the perfect angel and I could never imagine myself ever disliking you now."

"Is that supposed to be an insult or a compliment?" she asked mimicking his previous question.

He chuckled. "Take your pick."

Andrew was just about to open up the Arcade for the Saturday but was a little afraid of what he would find. Leaving Serena and Darien locked in the same room for a whole night might not have been the smartest idea. They were bound to have yelled at each other by now and seeing as Serena's tolerance for Darien had always been thin, there was no doubt in Andrew's mind that he would have a huge mess to clean up. He unlocked the doors and stepped inside, bracing himself for whatever was inside. To his surprise the place was clean and Darien and Serena were nowhere to be seen. He frowned and stepped into the back room, but as soon as he did he recieved another shock; they were arm-wrestling and were struggling against one another!

"I'm telling you Darien, only Lita has ever beaten me!" gasped Serena.

"Oh yeah? Well, don't think just coz you're a girl, I'm gonna go soft on ya!" he replied grinning.

His hand was beginning to bend back a little and Serena was almost straining.

"You're supposed to let me win!" squealed Serena.

"No way in hell Serena," retorted Darien grinning. "Do you surrender?"

"Not a chance buddy!" she panted as she tried to bend his hand back again.

"Alright, but I did warn you," he said sadly, before slamming her hand back against the table they were sitting at.

Serena seemed a little shocked before craddling her hand. Little tears began to form in her eyes and it was Darien's turn to be shocked; he'd made her cry.

"That hurt," she whispered.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, not wanting her to cry. "Here. Let me take a look at it."

Serena let him inspect her hand and he noticed how red he'd made it from slamming it against the wood. He ran his fingers gently over it and felt her shudder under his touch.

"It'll be right Rena," he said.

"Rena?"

Both looked up to see Andrew standing there looking confused at the sight before him. To him, the sight that befall him was just plain weird and he couldn't make head nor tail of the situation.

"Darien, since when have you called her Rena?" asked Andrew.

Darien shrugged, trying to make it seem like he didn't really care.

"Recently I guess," he replied before standing up and walking away from them. "I just remembered I have something to do. See ya Andrew, bye Serena."

He waved and then jogged out of the Arcade leaving Andrew with an incredibly smug look on his face and Serena feeling slightly hurt that he would leave that quickly and not give her a proper goodbye. She didn't want to say goodbye to the new Darien.

"Morning Serena," said Andrew brightly. "Your knee alright?"

"What? Oh, yeah. It's good."

"Something on your mind?" asked Andrew worriedly.

"Oh nothing," she sighed. "I really have to get some fresh air. Being trapped in this Arcade all night suddenly made me appreciate the open air a lot more. See you later Andrew."

She ran out the doors, not bothering to even wave at one of her most favourite people in the world. She decided to stop at a small coffee shop for something to eat. She ordered some toast and ended up only eating half of it. She wasn't hungry but she was ravished at the same time. She felt so tired but so awake as well. She felt so incredibly depressed but unbelievably happy all at once. She had never felt more confused before and at the same time, she understood completely. She buried her new hairdo into her hands and tried to breathe. What was the new feeling that Darien made her feel? It bubbled inside her when he came near and soothed whenever he talked to her. It frothed and overflowed through the dam in her chest whenever his skin made contact with her's and every word made her think about ways to improve herself. She wanted to impress him but at the same time, she wanted to remain herself because he had said he liked her the way she was. But did she just want him to like her? Did she want something more? What if she changed and he hated the new her? But what if she changed and he loved the new her? These thoughts buzzed continuously in her head as she tried to figure out what was the best thing to do, but even still, little voices began to pop up in her mind.

'This is Darien we're talking about. He's a total jerk!'

'Hey, no he's not! He was such a sweetheart last night.'

'God he felt nice touching my hand.'

'I still can't believe he won that arm wrestling match!'

'He smelt so nice!'

'What a hottie!'

'I wonder if he loves me?'

'He could hate me.'

'Total jerk!'

'Perfect sweetheart!'

'Felt so nice.'

'Major hottie!'

'Hates me!'

'Loves me?'

"SHUT UP!" yelled Serena, suddenly standing up and shouting to the roof.

The people around her looked at her if as she was mad. She blushed bright red, left some money on the table and ran out of the cafe, embarrassed out of her mind!

'Great,' she thought. 'I'm having arguments in my own fricking head! I am going insane!'

Suddenly she crashed into someone and would have fallen to the ground if that someone hadn't grabbed ahold of her wrist and pulled her back before she fell.

"Hello Rena," they said and she immediately felt those hands touching her again, holding her warmly. "I missed you."

Serena looked up into the warm eyes of Darien who was smiling at her kindly.

"Where'd you go?" asked Serena curiously.

"I went for my morning jog," he replied still holding her some what possessively.

"So that was that something you forgot to do?" she asked slyly.

"Yeah well, I needed to get away from Andrew. Couldn't you see that smug look on his face? He's not stupid Rena. I'm pretty sure he's figured out what's going on."

"Oh! And just what is going on?" asked Serena smiling.

Darien didn't answer. He had never noticed just how cheeky the klutz was. He had always been too busy teasing her to notice any other personality traits, which was a shame because now he was caught off guard. But that didn't last long. He noticed that Serena was suddenly holding her hand which was still a little pink from their arm wrestle.

"Does that still hurt?" he asked worriedly.

"Just a little," she muttered.

"Here then," he said, gently grabbing her hand and to her surprise, he kissed it lightly, rubbing her soft palm with his thumb.

As soon as his lips made contact with her skin, a type of electricity ran through both of them. Darien had never tasted something so delicious but he had a feeling that there was another part of Serena that must have tasted at least 10 000 times better. He wondered if he'd ever find out...wondered if her mouth would ever meet his...Serena had lost her breath as soon as his mouth had touched the back of her hand. All rational thought vanished and all she could think about was if those rough lips would ever touch her's...

Darien reluctantly lifted his lips from her hand and said, "Better?"

Serena nodded a little and said, "You don't realise just how strong you are."

"No, I forgot how fragile you were," he retorted.

"I am NOT fragile!" she snapped pulling out of his arms and turning her back on him. "I can take care of myself thank you! I'm not some withering flower you now!"

He heard what she said and smiled at her back. With just a flick of his wrist he produced a beautiful blooming rose and held it gently in his hand. He heard Serena huffing angrily and leant his flower bearing arm on her shoulder, his hand swaying a little in her face, which still held the rose.

"You're right Rena," he said, agreeing with her. "You're not a withering flower. You are, in every way, a rose. You may look fragile, but if people don't look carefully, they won't notice the thorns that you have which defend and protect you. The top half may be beautiful and soft, but the lower half is dangerous and a little frightening."

Serena turned around, grabbing the stalk of the flower carefully and fingering it between her fingertips.

"You think I'm frightening?" she asked in a whisper, almost worried that he might be scared of her.

"Sometimes, but no, not usually," he said reassuringly. "What I meant was that you are the beautiful part of a flower and I'm the thorns; the part that protects you and warns all others to stay well away if they know what's good for them."

Serena grinned and looked adoringly down at the rose and smelt the scent coming out of it.

"It's perfect," she whispered.

"Not as perfect as you though," he muttered.

Serena gasped and he almost hit his forehead.

'Oh crap!' he thought. 'Not again! Why do I keep saying things like that! I'm gonna scare her off!'

Suddenly she hugged him around his middle and he seemed shocked for a moment.

'Or not...'

"Thanks Darien," she murmered, snuggling into him, still holding her rose.

He placed his hands back around her waist, holding her to him. He felt her head resting comfortably underneath his chin and it felt great to him. Again he noted how well she fitted against him, as though that's what her whole purpose was. She lifted her head and Darien saw that her eyes were shimmering beautifully again giving her an angelic expression. Her cheeks seemed to be tainted with a light pink and her honey coloured hair looked suddenly golden. Darien almost laughed when he realised the honey brown dye had been washed from her hair and her beautiful golden hair was shining through again. He ran his fingers through her perfect hair and he felt her shiver again, but she kept her big eyes on him, smiling sweetly at him. He then noticed her tiny hands clinging gently onto him, almost desperate to never let go.

'Could she possibly have the same feelings for me as I do for her?' he thought suddenly, hope bubbling inside him. He decided to put it to the test.

He leant into her, only a few millimetres away from her incredibly beautiful, soft looking lips. He was being cautious; if she didn't care about him in the same way that he did for her, she could pull away or hit him. But he watched as her eyes became hungry and very impatient. He wanted desperately to close to distance between them, but decided that he'd do what he always did; he'd be a tease. He pulled away a little and saw Serena getting that tiny bit closer. He smiled inwardly and could have danced for joy. She did want him and he could not have been happier. Everytime she got close to his lips, he'd pull back just that little bit, making it hard for her. He could hear her almost whimper when he pulled away one last time.

'This is so cruel,' he thought to himself. 'She clearly wants me to kiss her and I'm pulling away. OK, I've had my fun. Time to give her what she wants.'

He leant into her and watched as she didn't move at all. He didn't get it until he realised that she must have still thought he was teasing but he didn't move. He wanted her to kiss him. He thought it would be rude to just take her first kiss without asking politely. He watched her curiously as she slowly began to realise that he wasn't going to pull away. She noticed he was waiting and suddenly a fire within her blazed and she threw herself upon him, crushing his lips beneath her own. Darien was a little surprised at her force, but instantly knew she was happy when he heard a sigh of satisfaction come from her mouth which was still clamped over his. He gently pushed the small of her back against him, relishing in her passion. He almost moaned when he tasted her bottom lip; surely something couldn't taste that good! He decided suddenly that he would be a gentleman no longer. He kissed Serena with such force, claiming her, crushing her lips, bruising them a little from all the attention they were recieving, but she didn't care. She wanted the kiss to go deeper...much deeper. To his surprise he could feel something trying to force it's way into his mouth and he almost laughed when he found out what it was. He obediently opened his mouth and let it enter, melding his own tongue with Serena's. Serena never knew that a kiss could be so passionate, so blazing, so alive! It was only when they decided they needed air that they pulled away from one another, the taste of the person they loved still in their mouth. Both couldn't stop staring at each other as they caught their breath. An awkward silence fell between them; only 12 hours before hand they had been mortal enemies and it felt weird to be in love with them all of a sudden. Serena touched the rose petals of her flower carefully while Darien stared at the clouds in the sky.

"Do you think we should tell the others?" he said suddenly.

Serena looked up at him and shrugged.

"Why?"

"Because it will become quite obvious when we start being polite to one another in public," said Darien.

"Yeah," said Serena laughing. "And the passionate kissing will be a dead giveaway!"

Darien laughed and grabbed ahold of her again, draping his arm around her.

"You are incredible Rena," he said, smiling and beginning to lead her along the park pathway.

Serena smiled and felt him pull her a little closer as they walked.

"I think we should tell them, but not now," she answered. "At the moment I just want to enjoy this with you."

"And what are we enjoying?"

"Everything."

"Oh, I see."

"You know what Darien? I think it's going to be a beautiful day. What do you think?"

"I think you're right," he said, looking at the sky.

"Wow. Never thought you'd ever say that to me!" said Serena suddenly.

Darien laughed again and kissed her cheek.

"You are too amazing Rena," he said. "Just amazing."

"Why do you say that about me?" said Serena curiously.

This caught him off guard.

"Well, I, er...well, I-"

"Do you love me?" asked Serena suddenly.

Again, caught off guard.

"Well, I, um...you see, er, I-"

"It's a simple yes or no Darien. I'm not asking you to explain your life to me."

Darien thought about it for a second.

"Yes," he whispered into her ear. "I do love you."

"What!" she squealed, turning to face him. "You do! But what about all those annoying things I do? What about how klutzy I am? What about how dim I can be?"

"You're forgetting that I like you for all those things and more," he replied. "I love you for you-"

"But what if you're wrong and you don't love me? What if I end up annoying you to death? What if I hurt you or accidentally klutz out and kill you? What if-?"

"What if the world caves in and the sun explodes? All these silly questions make about as much sense as the one I have just asked. They are pointless and can't be answered. Rena please understand that I love you for who you are and not what everyone else wants you to be. Remember, following the herd, you are just like everyone else, plain and boring. But by standing apart from the herd, you are unique, special and perfect to me in just about every way."

Serena smiled and continued to walk with him.

"Just out of interest Rena, do you love me too?"

Serena grinned, leant up into his ear and whispered, "What do you think?"

She pressed her lips to his for a brief, yet obliterating moment before tearing off in the opposite direction. Darien bolted off after her yelling out, "Slow down Rena or you'll klutz out and hurt yourself!" And for once, Darien had to admit that Serena had been right. It turned out to be a very beautiful day and eventually, a very beautiful life.

Author's Note: So everyone? What did you think? Not quite as strong as some of my other ones. I happen to really like this one. Just so you know I haven't included the fact that they are Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon. I thought that you could all have fun imagining what would have happened after that. In my opinion, I'd think their relationship would deepen as they remembered the countless times that they'd saved each other and perhaps, they'd remember their love for each other from the Silver Millenium? Anyway, have fun creating and I hope you liked it! 


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